Funky16Corners Radio v.23.5 – Old School Hammond

NOTE: I have been alerted by no less an authority than Gene Ludwig that I have two tracks in the zip file tagged incorrectly. The Gene Ludwig and Leo Valentine tracks are inverted. I will try to get this remedied in the next day or two.

Greetings, happy Friday and all that mess.Despite the fact that the official date doesn’t roll around for almost three weeks, I’m here to tell you that summer is upon us, and I’ve decided that the hot weather deserves some hot music.
Before you download today’s special edition of the Funky16Corners Radio podcast, I feel it’s only fair to warn you that ingestion of the audio file at the end of this link can (and will) result in blown minds, singed ears (as well as the area surrounding the ears) and a series of wild, involuntary muscular contractions which may appear to some to be dancing.
That’s right brothers and sisters, the mix you are about to slip into your unsuspecting pod-like device contains 18 slices of the hottest, guh-reeeeeeziest, smokingest old-school Hammond organ sounds you will ever encounter, and if you aren’t prepared to get knocked into the next room, maybe you should go download something safer.
A little while back I posted a hot track by Dave Baby Cortez, which – along with a little coaxing from my man Vincent over at Fufu Stew – inspired me to dip into the Funky16Corners cellars for a long-form smorgasbord of Hammond organ selections, all, how do they say, from the “old school”.
In this case, old school refers to the days of barroom organ combos, who spread the gospel of groove grease all over the American night, so that their followers, sweaty, wild-eyed jukebox nickel and dimers one and all, intox-i-macated by a powerful mixture of cold beer, cocktails, cigarette smoke, lust and musical bliss might make it to through their working week.
While some of the Hammond wranglers herein may be familiar names – some having gone on to fame and fortune as jazzbos and the like – there are more than a few stone solid obscuros that are as powerful as anything the genre has ever offered up.
Things open up with a side from Sacramento, Ca by the Leo Valentine Trio. I don’t know anything about Leo, except for the fact that he made one fine 45, and I have Mr. Nick Rossi(current day Hammond master) for sliding me this 45.
Jon Thomas recorded a number of LPs and 45s for a variety of labels in the 50’s and 60’s. ‘Hot Tip’ which hails from the ‘Big Beat on the Organ’ LP (which actually features a picture of a BEET on an organ keyboard) is by far the craziest (like loony bin crazy) Hammond side I’ve ever come across.The Three Souls stop by to lay down a wicked cover of Kenny Burrell’s ‘Chittlins con Carne’.
Straight outta Compton…no, not Ice Cube, but the mighty R.D. Stokes, who I am positive burned down whatever studio he recorded ‘My Sandra’s Jump’ in. It’s that hot. Holy shit what a record! I have one other 45 by Stokes, but no matter how good it is it doesn’t come within a mile of this track. JEEBUS!!
If you thought that ‘Hurricane’ was a revelation in the discography of Dave Baby Cortez, you have clearly not experienced the brutal assault of ‘Getting to the Point’. Heavy, heavy stuff.
I’m not sure whether or not the Mark III that recorded ‘Jaw Breaker’ for Night Owl is the same group that recorded for In and Atco as the Mark III Trio. There were definitely at least two organ combos that recorded under that name during the 60’s (one of which featured a young Grover Washington on sax).
The James Booker track hails from a great lost LP recorded under the leadership of none other than Lloyd Price. There are a number of great tracks on the LP (‘This Is My Band’ on Double L) that feature the NOLA keyboard genius to great effect.
The Dave Davani Four were a UK outfit that recorded some outstanding soul jazz in the 60’s. ‘The Jupe’ was their sole US release, on the Capitol label.Brother Jack McDuff needs no introduction (or at least as one of the truly great organists of the latter half of the 20th century, he shouldn’t), so suffice to say, ‘Grease Monkey’ is a killer.Gene Ludwigis still wailing on the Hammond in a career that spans almost half a century. ‘The Vamp’ – which features no drums at all – still manages to swing like 60.
I know nothing about Big Bubbles & the Soul Brothers, other than they had a fantastic name, and that ‘Ginger Snap Pt1’ is a killer.Luther Randolph & Johnny Stiles, in addition to forming a classic guitar/organ duo, were a crucial part of Philadelphia’s Harthon records, as writers, producers and arrangers. They recorded two great 45s for Harthon, one of which was also released on Cameo.Leo’s Five is another group I know nothing about, other than they recorded for a St. Louis label.Tall Paul Hankins recorded a number of excellent organ 45s for a variety of labels in the 60’s. ‘The Hawk’, which was recorded for the King Records offshoot Queen, is a duet with guitarist Freddy Robinson.Terrell Prude was an organist with Ray Charles’s band, and recorded an LP and some excellent 45s for Charles’s TRC label.Sonny Knight was a vocalist and organist who recorded in a number of settings through the 50’s and 60’s. ‘Let’s Get It On Pt1’ is his finest, grooviest 45, with a great mix of singing and Hammond.
Taking a similar tack was organist Rhoda Scott and her trio. Not sure who the vocalist is here, but the tune ‘Hey Hey Hey’ (clearly a relic of the Twist craze) is a party starter of the first order.
The mix closes out with an absolute BURNER of a track from the legendary Charles Kynard. Kynard recorded for World Pacific in the early 60’s, and the 45 of ‘Here Now!’ b/w ‘Where It’s At’ is one of the great two-siders in my crates. Kynard went on to record some great stuff for Prestige and Mainstream, moonlighting as the organist in Afrique and the Delegates (the Convention 72/Funky Butt Delegates, NOT the Billy Larkin group).
This mix – and I’m only dropping a mixed file this time because these records need to be heard pressed together, like an overflow crowd in some long forgotten cocktail lounge – should be played LOUDLY, whether through your headphones, car speakers or on the olde hi-fi, and experienced under the influence of alcohol, spicy food and the presence of an appealing member of the opposite sex (for the bumping and the grinding).
In fact, if I were you, I’d get a whole bunch of people together (the kind of folks that dig a real good time) and whip it on the bunch of them.
If you’re not sweating when it’s done, I’ll eat my hat.
Rest assured, there’s LOTS more where this came from.Oh, yes..LOTS more.
Have a great weekend.Peace
Larry

PS I haven’t had any success getting Funky16Corners picked up by iTunes, however, you can still subscribe to the podcast by going into Podcasts in iTunes, going to ADVANCED, selecting SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST and inserting

29 Responses to “Funky16Corners Radio v.23.5 – Old School Hammond”

Thanx large! I will definitely be filling the ol’ iPod with this’un… Yeah, I broke down and got one, free mind you, but nevertheless. My Nomad finally died after three years of faithful service! After the day I had yesterday, I could use a little bit of that organ grinding swing.

Oulalala ! friday evening in my small parisian student room. Small surface, but music is enlarging spaces. What a mix ! Thanks you so much to put it in individual mp3’s, it’s so convenient. Got a preference for “Brother Jack McDuff – Grease Monkey”. This one really rocks ! Anyway, merci beaucoup.

[…] There’s only one reason why I am late to the party once again: To make a long story short, this has been a really draining week on so many levels. I’ll spare you all the agony of my “terrible violin playing” and get right to the situation at hand. Lots of people to thank today, and more to welcome to the family, so let’s begin with shouts to Lily, Jason and the super duper Heavy Soul Brutha. You’ve got a little company today in the classroom, more on that later. Next, as is custom, thanks Larry for fulfilling that request of sorts. Your latest podcast was the muthafukka (and oh so timely since I am trying to keep that “violin” hid). I spent all morning playing it, and for those who haven’t been, get on over and grab a plate of luscious groove grease… […]

Larry: Another great mix as usual. Leo’s Five was the band of Leo Gooden,(a singer) who had a nightclub called the Blue Note 4100 Missouri Avenue East St.Louis Illinois. That song “Hold it” was a Bill Doggett tune.Guitarist on that session was Albert King. Organist Don James Baritone sax (avant garde player World Saxophone Quartet) Hammiet Blueitt Tenor sax Fred Jackson (Blue Note label) Drummer Kenny Rice. The master tapes to all these Leos Five sessions are owned by Eddie Fisher ( funk /jazz gutarist that Wax Poetics did an article on). Tony C

Larry:
Brilliant stuff as usual. I need HELP on one matter, though. I know you have small children so this is why ask. I need music to put my new baby to sleep, bu t she only seems to be reacting to this sappy New Age-ish 5 buck target CD of lullabies. HELP!! Any suggestions.
Hammond ain’t owrking….

Alejandro
We played stuff like Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue’, various mellow folk (Nick Drake et al). When my oldest sone Miles was born I made a mix that had everything from Miles & Coltrane to the Velvet Underground, Debussy and Ravi Shankar.
All mellow, but also DEEP (I don’t want my kids listening to Barney when I have a house full of good music).
L

any of u going gaga over this who happen to live in the pacific NW usa *MUST* check out the great new band “McTuff” at some point… more about this world class hammond bbq outfit right here: myspace.com/mctuffmusic

Hi Larry, This is a great thing, podcasts. Nice to see my old tune on there. But listen, my tune was tagged in error in that .zip file download. My tune is not #10, it is actually # 1, the one that is labeled “Behind the Outhouse” by Leo Valentine. Maybe someone can fix those tags. You sure got a good collection here. My regards, Gene Ludwig

Thanks for correcting those tune tags Larry, great work. So now my tune is #10 and to clarify things, Larry is correct. There were no drums used on the tune “The Vamp”, just Hammond, guitar and tamborine. Happy 4th of July to everyone. Gene

I came upon Funky16Corners when looking up L. Randolph & J. Stiles. Wao! I own
a Hammond, a Leslie and four synths which can sound very Hammond-like. I’m 64 and Ive been enjoying this music since Bill Doggett and Doc Bagby were putting
out singles! Larry, do you ever put this mix on CDs, even burned CDs to sell to folks
like me? I’m WAY interested! Pls email me! Thank you! Lee

[…] organ in the band of fellow New Orleans-ian Lloyd Price, an example of which can be heard in Funky16Corners Radio v.23.5 Old School Hammond. It’s not hard to imagine legions of people dropping their nickels into jukeboxes all over the […]